Beloved TV talk-show host David Letterman has won a major break in the ongoing writers strike--his entire staff has been given a waiver to return to work.
Letterman was among the late-night hosts who shelved his show when the strike began on Nov5. He continued to pay his staff out of his own pocket.
And his generosity appears to have won him favor among Writers Guild of America union bosses, who have given his writing staff permission to cross picket lines when his show returns on Jan. 2.
In a statement released on Friday, Letterman said, "I am grateful to the WGA for granting us this agreement. We're happy to be going back to work, and particularly pleased to be doing it with our writers."
The new deal will also mean writers for Craig Ferguson's show, which follows Letterman’s Late Show and is produced by Letterman, will also be able to return to work next week.
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Talk-show host Jay Leno has agreed to pay laid-off members of his Tonight Show staff--after he was heavily criticized for not offering to pick up their paychecks amid the ongoing writers strikes.
Unlike peers David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, Leno--who makes an estimated $27 million a year--had refused to cover the salaries of his show staff out of his own pocket after they were made redundant on Friday.
But after facing a severe backlash from striking workers, the star has relented and agreed to pay his staff a week's wages, according to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
The layoffs at the Tonight Show are the latest casualties in the ongoing battle between the Writers Guild of America and producers over royalties.
The strike immediately shut down the late-night comedy shows and has gradually affected the production of many network-produced primetime series, including Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives.
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Talk-show host Jay Leno faces a backlash from laid-off members of his Tonight Show staff--after failing to pay them a regular salary amid the ongoing writers strikes.
Unlike colleagues David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, Leno--who makes an estimated $27 million a year--has refused to offer staff of his late-night show their normal paychecks after they were laid off on Friday, according to the New York Daily News.
NBC stopped paying all non-striking show members--just under 100 of them--who have not been able to work for almost a month since the action began.
As a result, Late Night host O'Brien was prompted to step up and pay staff out of his own pocket to avoid backlash. And Letterman did the same--agreeing to pay his staff regular salaries until the end of the year.
While a spokesman for Leno confirmed he had not offered to pay workers' salaries, he was keen to point out the comic has distributed "substantial" bonuses this week that amounted to just under $500,000 combined.
The layoffs at Tonight are the latest casualties in the ongoing battle between the Writers Guild of America and show producers. The strike immediately shut down the late-night comedy shows and has gradually shut down the production of network-produced primetime series.
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NBC has reportedly fired "nearly the entire production staff" of Saturday Night Live following the Hollywood writers strike.
Staff working on the hit show learned of their fate on Friday, according to reports.
One source tells New York gossip column PageSix, "Saturday Night Live laid off all their staff until further notice. Their production staff, even long-term employees, were let go."
A spokesman for NBC refused to comment.
On Friday, Universal Media Studios informed the casts of hit TV shows 30 Rock, Bionic Woman and The Office--including actor Alec Baldwin--that they will be suspended on half-pay for five weeks.
Strikes by members of the Writers Guild of America have disrupted production across the industry, affecting TV favorites including Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy as well as several high-profile late-night talk shows.
However, Late Show host David Letterman has reportedly told his staff he will pay them out of his own pocket over the holidays if the strike continues.
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Top late-night talk shows The Tonight Show, The Daily Show and The Late Show have become the first big victims of the Hollywood writer's strike.
Producers of the three programs scrapped plans to air on Monday night as the walkout kicked off, following a weekend of desperate talks to halt the strike.
The Tonight Show host Jay Leno briefly joined the picket line outside the NBC studios in Burbank, California--where his show is taped--after network bosses announced the show would immediately go into reruns.
David Letterman's The Late Show will also run a series of repeats this week, as will The Daily Show and a series of daytime talk shows.
The strike started on a noisy note as picketing writers began chanting loudly outside CBS and Paramount Studios in Hollywood early on Monday morning.
Those organized outside Paramount wore red strike T-shirts and carried signs reading, "Writers Guild of America on Strike."
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Socialite Paris Hilton was visibly upset during an appearance on David Letterman's TV show on Friday night, when the host refused to stop asking her questions about her recent jail stint.
Hilton, who spent 23 days behind bars in June for violating her probation on a 2006 drunk-driving charge, became increasingly uncomfortable and annoyed by Letterman's questions on The Late Show.
After six minutes of jail-related questions, the 26-year-old--who was on the show to promote her fragrance Can Can and upcoming film Repo! The Genetic Opera--said, "There's other stuff to talk about, Dave. I didn't come here to talk about this. That was a long time ago."
She added, "I'm sad that I came here."
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TV host David Letterman has opened his heart in a rare interview on Oprah Winfrey's daytime talk show by gushing about fatherhood.
Letterman says the birth of son, Harry, has made a "huge difference" in his life--although the 3-year-old doesn't understand his sense of humor.
He tells his talk-show rival, "Mommy has to tell him a lot that I'm just teasing,"
The 60-year-old also admits to struggling with "patience or discipline" with his son by girlfriend Regina Lasko.
The two TV titans ended a decade-long feud in 2005 when Winfrey appeared on Letterman's late-night talk show. The feud was sparked when Letterman poked fun at Winfrey on his show in the 1990s.
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Comedian Drew Carey will replace beloved game-show host Bob Barker as the new host of long-running program The Price Is Right.
Carey, the star of his own namesake sitcom and the host of improvisational comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, was named retiring Barker’s replacement on Monday after weeks of speculation.
The comic confirmed he was the man for the job during a taping of The Late Show with David Letterman, which aired on Monday night.
Barker has been the host of the popular game show for the past 35 years.
Carey has suddenly become the new game-show king--he also hosts new primetime show The Power of 10.
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Nicole Richie will learn by the end of the month if she will be following Paris Hilton to jail for driving offenses.
The TV star admits she is "scared" as she awaits her punishment for driving under the influence last year. She pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Appearing on The Late Show last night, she told host David Letterman of her worries that she may be facing jail time.
She said, "I'm just keeping my fingers crossed, and, you know, of course, I'm scared also, but, you know, I'm willing to face whatever consequences come my way, and I take responsibility for what I've done."
Richie already has a 2003 misdemeanor DUI conviction.
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Marcia Cross' recent pregnancy will be featured in the finale of the current season of Desperate Housewives after all, even though she and show creator Marc Cherry went to great lengths to hide the fact she was with child.
Cross hid her bulging belly behind cushions, chairs and tables during the early months of her pregnancy but had to quit the show altogether at the beginning of the year when her doctors put her on bed rest.
But during an interview on The Late Show With David Letterman on Thursday night, the actress revealed why Cherry insisted on turning her own home into a movie set after she was forced to take a break from the show.
Cross, who will return to the show for the upcoming season finale, teased, "I come back in a particular condition, which, sort of... I can't really say."
But when Letterman quizzed her further, asking, "You come back pregnant?" the flustered redhead said, "I didn't say a word," prompting the host to add, "You come back pregnant and we don't know who the father is."
An impressed Cross nodded, "Yes. That was good."
The actress is no longer pregnant--she gave birth to twin girls in February.
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